Manager Minute – Managing Employee Performance: Goal Setting

Goal setting is a process of establishing objectives to be achieved over a period of time. It is the performance criteria an employee will be evaluated against. Performance goals for individual employees should ideally align with organizational goals.

Common types of goals include the following:

    • Job description goals. Goals may be based on the achievement of a pre-established set of job duties from the description. These goals are expected to be accomplished continuously until the job description changes. Examples might be financial, customer oriented, or process- or system-oriented goals.
    • Project goals. Goals may be based on achievement of a project objective. These goals may be set for a single year and changed as projects are completed. Job description and project goals are “what” needs to be accomplished.
    • Behavioral goals. Goals may be based on certain behaviors. These goals are expected to be accomplished continuously. Behavioral goals are “how” things need to be accomplished.
    • Stretch goals. Goals that are especially challenging to reach are sometimes referred to as stretch goals. Stretch goals are usually used to expand the knowledge, skills and abilities of high-potential employees

In addition to focusing only on a few major goals during a single year, the goals should be SMART:

    • Specific, clear and understandable.
    • Measurable, verifiable and results-oriented.
    • Attainable, yet sufficiently challenging.
    • Relevant to the mission of the department or organization.
    • Time-bound with a schedule and specific milestones.

Finally, effective goals should be participative. Both manager and individual should be involved in the development of goals to ensure understanding and commitment. Goals should be documented, available for review, managed on a continuous basis and acknowledged. Goals should be flexible enough to account for changing conditions.

Examples of effective goals include statements such as these:

    • Increase revenue by 10 percent during the first quarter.
    • Reduce office expenses by 25 percent as compared with the prior year’s actual costs.
    • Decrease employee absences from three days to one day per quarter.

Excerpts taken from: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingemployeeperformance.aspx

For more information about supervisory resources, please contact your Campus HR Team at HSC.HR@untsystem.edu. For additional virtual professional development opportunities, please visit the Organizational Development & Engagement page at: https://hr.untsystem.edu/organizational-development-engagement-ode.